WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. would be better served by maintaining its open trade system rather than imposing new punitive duties on Chinese goods, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday, adding that Washington and Beijing should work together to resolve their trade tensions.

IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack told a regular news briefing that such trade restrictions as those announced by President Joe Biden on Tuesday can distort trade and investment, fragment supply chains and trigger retaliatory actions.

"Fragmentation of this type can be very costly for the global economy," she said.